What will we use our forests for? With the world now aiming to achieve zero forest loss and degradation by 2020, while at the same time facing increasing consumer demands and scarcity of resources, the market for novel or improved traditional forest products is growing, yet the availability of forests is shrinking. The economic value of the goods and services that could be derived from forests is being greatly underutilized. Given the world’s population growth and urbanization, economic downturns, environmental pressure and climate change, forests and bioproducts derived from them offer a long-term solution for local communities and society at large. The forests of the future have to be more productive, resilient to disease and pests, and adaptable to climate change. Future demands will increasingly be met from plantation forests that maintain conservation and biodiversity standards and respect local communities’ needs and livelihoods. In 2011, The International Union of Forest Research Organizations established an interdisciplinary Task Force, chaired by Dean John Innes, to examine these critical issues. On August 27 – 29, 2013, the Task Force gathered more than 120 policy makers, researchers, industry leaders and NGOs at the IUFRO Resources for the Future conference, hosted by the University of British Columbia, Canada. The conference examined current research and findings on 4 major themes: the implications of globalization for the world’s forests, the role of plantations in future wood supply, new and advanced bioproducts and building systems, and the role of forest ecosystem services in future forest management. The conference was supported by IUFRO, Natural Resources Canada, the Commonwealth Forestry Association, Council of Forest Industries, British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Forest Innovation Investment, Government of Alberta and Genome British Columbia. Forest ecosystems provide multiple benefits (clean water, carbon regulation, soil fertility, waste decomposition, timber, food and fibre) and are a critical part of the spiritual and cultural bases of a society. Today the majority of forest clearance occurs in tropical countries, whereas the area of temperate and boreal forests is increasing. Forest quality changes, however, have not been accounted for. As shown by Sven Wunder (CIFOR, Brazil) and David Brand (New Forests, Australia), a number of attempts to introduce payments for the ecosystem services provided by forests are beginning to show signs of success. This is leading to growing recognition that forest degradation can be very important, whether through inappropriate selective logging or a failure to
4
branchlines 24#3 2013
look after the regeneration (or re-planting) that occurs following harvesting. If they are to fulfill their expected functions, we need to ensure that these degraded forests will become resilient and healthy. With competing demands for forests, forest lands and products, indigenous communities and other communities living in forests are increasingly recognized by governments as “deciders” on the fate of forests. Alexandre Corriveau-Bourque (Rights and Resources Initiative, Washington, DC) described how there is currently a trend for investors to rapidly accumulate rights to land as a hedge against projected scarcities, current scarcities, and to influence resource markets. Failing to recognize local aspirations, land claims, and legal rights will lead to the destruction of local livelihoods, increased conflict and competition for remaining land, and accelerated destruction of the world’s remaining forest carbon stocks. Today, half the world’s population falls within the middle class, and experts anticipate further growth in this group. As a result, consumption is increasing, and will lead to long-term resource scarcity. The end-customers’ needs and standards for forests products (looking through the entire supply chain) have changed considerably over the past few years. Luis Silva (WWF, Portugal) explained how important it will be to have forestry and farming practices that produce more with less land, water and pollution, while retaining resilience and adaptability. He showed how WWF is working with plantation companies in Brazil to try to achieve this objective. However, Caroline Mohammed (University of Tasmania, Australia) drew attention to the large numbers of increasingly mobile pests and diseases that could threaten such efforts. Despite these potential threats, plantations offer huge potential, and we are getting increasing productivity from them, as demonstrated by Peter Volker (Forestry, Tasmania). Finn Tvede Jacobsen (African Plantations for Sustainable Development, Ghana) showed how such plantations could be integrated into the livelihoods of rural populations in disadvantaged areas. The sector represents a unique opportunity to meet future needs with a wide range of land-use options and bio-products, including energy, chemicals and materials. However, to meet the needs of a broader set of stakeholders, a shift to a wider array of forest services (eg, recreation, carbon offsets, water management, community forest, etc) is needed. According to Rob de Fegeley (Institute of Foresters, Australia), forest cover and related services could expand through mosaics of new plantations, natural forest restoration and responsible farming. Plantations developed through effective